History, technology, and probably some other stuff

Search Engine Optimization & Quality Instruction

by glennw on January 26, 2010

While I do have a pretty good understanding of how the Net works and how sites and search tools interact, there’s been some new learning going on over the last few months.

Most of the new stuff that I’m picking up deals with the concept of Search Engine Optimization (known as SEO). In the business world, SEO basically focuses on ways to connect people with products so that businesses makes money.

In our world, we’ve been talking about SEO as a way to connect with other people as well as appropriate educational content. And while it’s been useful for that, I’m beginning to see some connections between SEO principles and the classroom.

The whole idea is still a bit fuzzy in my mind but it seems as if there’s some overlap between SEO principles and quality instruction.

Quality Site Content

SEO experts talk about providing frequently updated, quality content that people want to read. In the world of the web, it all starts with stuff that people like.

Translated into the education world? Teachers need to be current in their content area and that content needs to be presented in an engaging way.

Content Organization

Lots of people create content, it’s the organizing of the content that becomes key.

Education world? We need to use tools and strategies like Understanding by Design and Differentiated Instruction to ensure that our quality content is delivered in a way that makes sense to kids.

Keyword Research

SEO wonks spend tons of time making sure that specific keywords get special attention. But they often forget how those keywords can become meaningless unless they fit into a bigger picture.

Education connection? Teachers can spend too much time on minutiae – dates of battles, middle names of presidents, the largest 250 bodies of water in the US – and lose sight of larger concepts such as people move for specific reasons and democracy is a good thing.

Links

To connect people with their business, SEO folks work to create links between their sites and others. The more links and trackbacks, the better.

Teachers need to be doing the same thing. We need to find ways to link to stuff and people and content and tools that live outside out classrooms. The more links we can make, the better.

Be patient and don’t forget the people

The most important thing that the SEO experts often suggest is that you should never forget that people are the purpose. All of the great content, the links and the useful keywords won’t mean anything if you forget why you’re doing all this work in the first place. The process is important but the end user, the actual person on the other end of the line, is the reason for what we do.

I think it’s also easy to sometimes get too caught up in the process of teaching. We need to remember the end user of everything we do. All of the great curriculum and engaging strategies won’t make a difference unless we actually care about the kids we see everyday. They’ll know when we don’t!

I still need to play around with this a bit more but it’s starting to make sense. Curious to hear what others might be thinking.

Want History Tech in your inbox?

Glenn Wiebe
social studies nerd, consultant, tech guy

Thanks for dropping by! As a curriculum consultant for ESSDACK, an educational service center in Hutchinson, Kansas, History Tech is my chance to rattle on about social studies and technology. Feel free to poke around.

Evidence Analysis Window Frames and Tools for Teaching & Learning

At ESSDACK, we want to offer tools and products that encourage you to learn and work when and where you want. Check out these handy products that can be used as instructional tools and professional learning opportunities in ways that work best for you.

My fav?

The very cool Evidence Analysis Window Frame that scaffolds historical thinking skills and helps kids make sense of primary sources.
But you'll also find C4 Cards and 25 Days of History Tech Tools to help you grow professionally.